Three Charged in $1 Billion Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Last Friday the Justice Department charged a Miami-area healthcare operator, a hospital administrator, and a physician’s assistant with conspiracy involving submitting fraudulent bills to Medicare and Medicaid exceeding, for the first time, $1 billion.The three included Philip Esformes, the owner of more than 30 Miami-area nursing and assisted-living facilities, hospital administrator Odette Barcha, and physician assistant Arnald Carmouze. They were charged with money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and receiving kickbacks, along with other charges.The conspiracy had been going on for 14 years, and came to a end with the help of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF), which began investigating healthcare fraud in March 2007. Since that time, nearly 3,000 defendants, including doctors, nurses, physicians’ assistants, hospital administrators, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers have been charged with bilking Medicare for more than $10 billion.

Source: Three Charged in $1 Billion Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Scheme THE NEW AMERICAN